Breaking news: NPR interview with Dr. Paul Offit and Amanda Peet to be aired
on December 8

On December 5, Every Child by Two (ECBT)
announced that a
National Public Radio (NPR) interview with Dr. Paul Offit and
Amanda Peet will be aired on December 8 on NPR's late afternoon
news program All Things Considered. Dr. Offit is the chief of
Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education
Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as
the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and professor
of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine. Film and television actress Amanda Peet is ECBT's
Vaccinate Your Baby campaign spokesperson.

ECBT's announcement is reprinted below in its entirety.

Jon Hamilton, science correspondent at NPR, recently interviewed
Dr. Paul Offit and ECBT campaign spokesperson Amanda Peet
regarding the importance of immunizations. During the interview
Ms. Peet talked about her involvement in the promotion of
childhood vaccines and Dr. Offit discussed the topic of his
book, Autism's False Prophets. The interview is scheduled to be
aired on Monday, December 8, on NPR's All Things Considered,
although the date is subject to change.

In the event All Things Considered does not air the interview
with Paul Offit and Amanda Peet on December 8, click on the link
above in subsequent days to find out when the interview will
air. A listing of All Things Considered stories is posted at
approximately 4PM ET each weekday and at approximately 5PM ET on
weekends.

Website redesign continues at IAC's website for
healthcare
professionals, www.immunize.org The changes to the home page
and to the "Ask the Experts" and "Print Materials" sections are
geared to make it easy for visitors to stay informed of updates
to our website and to stay apprised of the news and activities
in the world of immunization. You can easily find the links to
redesigned sections by clicking on the box titled "What's New at
IAC" at the center of our home page at http://www.immunize.org
Read on for details.

A notable recent addition to IAC's home page is "IAC's Video of
the Week," located in the center of the page. This week's video
features Dr. Paul Offit discussing his book Autism's False
Prophets. Also a link was added to the horizontal bar at the
top of the home page that gives users immediate access to the
"Ask the Experts" web section. Here's the link to IAC's home page:
http://www.immunize.org

"Ask the Experts," one of IAC's most frequently accessed web
sections, is a compilation of challenging and timely
immunization questions answered by experts at CDC. Look for a
new subsection that gives website users easy access to the most
recent Q&As published in IAC Express and in IAC's print
publications, Needle Tips, Vaccinate Adults, and Vaccinate
Women. Here's the link: http://www.immunize.org/askexperts

"Print Materials," a web section that offers approximately 250
FREE, ready-to-copy, CDC-reviewed English-language materials
(and many translations), now gives users access to materials
organized by disease and vaccine. Materials are also organized
by popularity (most frequently downloaded), topic, item number,
language, and type (e.g., standing orders, Q&As about diseases
and vaccines), as well as alphabetically. Here's the link:
http://www.immunize.org/printmaterials

The home page and the two sections above are updated throughout
the week, so check back often.

This year, National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW)
takes
place from December 8 to 14. Resources to promote vaccination
are available from several organizations. Here's a run down of
where to find what you need:

New Q&A sheet addresses parents' concerns that receiving recommended vaccines
can overwhelm a young child's immune system

The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) of the
Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia has developed a new tear sheet, "Q&A: Too many
vaccines? What you should know." It addresses parents' concerns
that a child's immune system could be compromised if the child
receives all recommended vaccines on schedule.

English- and Spanish-language versions are available. Healthcare
professionals can order two 50-sheet pads in each language at no
charge. Additional pads are available for $3, plus shipping.

AAP develops a parent-education Q&A on the childhood immunization schedule
and another on vaccine ingredients.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently
developed two
Q&A sheets that answer questions parents frequently ask at
pediatric appointments. The two are "The Childhood Immunization
Schedule: Why Is It Like That?" and "Questions and Answers about
Vaccine Ingredients." Both are posted on the website of AAP's
Childhood Immunization Support Program (CISP).

Important: Be sure to give influenza vaccine throughout the influenza
season--through spring 2009.

Influenza vaccine for the 2008-09 influenza
season is widely
available, and the supply is robust. If you run out of vaccine
in your work setting, please place another order. Influenza
vaccination efforts should continue through the holiday season
and into the spring months of 2009.

Don't forget that this week--December 8-14--is National
Influenza Vaccination Week. CDC's Seasonal Flu website offers a
large selection of information and resources related to this
annual event. To access them, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw

For abundant information about influenza vaccination, visit the
following two websites often. They are continually updated with
the latest resources:

CDC recaps decisions made at the October 22-23 ACIP meeting; presentation
slides are now available.

The November issue of Immunization Works, an
electronic
newsletter published by CDC, includes an article that summarizes
decisions made at the October 22-23 ACIP meeting. The article is
reprinted below in its entirety. Presentation slides from the
October meeting are now available online. A link to them is
given at the end of this IAC Express article.

ACIP RECOMMENDS SMOKERS GET PPSV: The ACIP meets three times
annually and provides recommendations to the director of the CDC
and the Secretary of HHS concerning the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. In October, CDC's
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP;
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip) voted to add smoking as
an indication for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) for
adults 19 through 64 years old.

ACIP also voted in favor of the following proposals:

PPSV:

To change the age range for asthmatics to receive PPSV to 19
through 64 years old (previously the age range was 18 to 64
years old).

Not to recommend routine PPSV vaccination of Alaska
Natives/American Indians 2 through 64 years of age with no
other indications (previously, routine vaccination was
recommended for all AN/AI in this age group). However, in
special situations, public health authorities may now
recommend vaccination for Alaska Natives/American Indians 50-64 years old living in areas of increased risk.

Not to routinely administer PPSV after vaccination with PCV
for AN/AI children [ages] 24 through 59 months. However, in
special situations, public health authorities may now
recommend PPSV vaccination for these children if they are
living in areas of increased risk.

For persons who are immunocompromised, have sickle cell
disease or asplenia, standardize the interval between first
and second dose of PPSV to 5 years (it had previously been 5
years for some people, 3 years for others).

Childhood and Adult Schedules:

To accept proposed changes to the adult and childhood
schedules for consistency and clarification of previous
recommendations.

To incorporate new recommendations for pneumococcal,
rotavirus, and influenza vaccines.

Anthrax:

To update current recommendations.

The ACIP voted not to accept proposed changes to the General
Recommendations on Immunization concerning timing and spacing of
vaccine doses, contraindications and precautions, and vaccine
administration. After reviewing recent data, the ACIP decided
not to make changes to current CDC needle length
recommendations.

The new recommendations will be published in a future edition of
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Slide
presentations and the full report from the October ACIP meeting
will be posted soon at the ACIP website. The next ACIP meeting
will be held at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 25-26,
2009.

On October 27, the SHOTS 2008 quick-reference
guides to the
childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules were
updated and posted on the website of the Group on Immunization
Education of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
SHOTS 2008 allows the schedules to be downloaded to Palm-OS
handhelds and Pocket-PCs handhelds.

National Vaccine Program Office releases draft of the 2008 National Vaccine
Plan.

The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO)
recently released a
draft of the 2008 National Vaccine Plan. The 2008 draft document
is the first step in updating the 1994 National Vaccine Plan.
For more information, and to access the 2008 draft document, go
to: http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/vacc_plan

Before the holiday rush, take time to register for CDC's 2009 National
Immunization Conference.

Take time NOW--before you start juggling work
with a long string
of winter holiday celebrations--to register for CDC's 2009
National Immunization Conference. It will take place in Dallas
on March 30-April 2, 2009.

The conference's plenary and poster sessions, meetings, and
workshops will recharge your batteries by giving you fresh ideas
and acquainting you with new resources. For comprehensive
program information, including the newly posted draft agenda, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic

Remember, the earlier you register, the more you save: The fee
for early-bird registration is $225. Wait until January 31, and
it's $250 for standard registration; wait until March 14, and
it's $275 for onsite registration. To register online, go to:
http://conferences.taskforce.org/nic09

For additional information, contact the NIC conference planning
team at (404) 639-8225 or nipnic@cdc.gov

November issue of CDC's Immunization Works electronic newsletter recently
released.

CDC recently released the November issue of its
monthly
newsletter Immunization Works; it will soon be posted on the
website of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases (NCIRD). The newsletter offers the immunization
community information about current topics. The information is
in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated
widely.

Some of the information in the November issue has already
appeared in previous issues of IAC Express. Following are titles
of articles IAC Express has already covered:

CDC published "Progress in Global Measles Control
and Mortality
Reduction, 2000-2007" in the December 5 issue of MMWR. A portion
of a summary made available to the press is reprinted below. On
December 4, the Measles Initiative issued a press release on the
same topic. A link to it is given at the end of this IAC Express
article.

From 2000 to 2007, measles deaths fell by 74 percent
globally, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000. During this
period, the largest reductions occurred in Africa and the
Eastern Mediterranean where deaths dropped by 89 percent and 90
percent respectively. The world's success in reaching the 2010
measles goal depends on ensuring that all children receive two
doses of measles vaccine including one dose by their first
birthday, strengthening disease surveillance systems, and
providing effective treatment for measles.

Journal reviews topics covered at the spring meeting of the Viral Hepatitis
Prevention Board and the European Liver Patient Association.

The November issue of Viral Hepatitis, a
publication of the
Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB), is devoted to a review
of the topics covered at the spring meeting of VHPB and the
European Liver Patient Association. The meeting was held March
12-14 in Lucca, Italy. The theme was "Prevention and Control of
Viral Hepatitis: The Role and Impact of Patient and Advocacy
Groups In and Outside Europe."

This website is supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (Grant No.
6NH23IP22550) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. The website content is the sole responsibility of IAC and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.